At one point I was fanatical about practicing.  Like many, I'd spend hours a day playing my bass and working on different things.

These days life just does not allow that and sometimes many weeks or sometimes months will go by without me picking it up.  Basically if a gig gets scheduled I'll grab it and spend the week prior running through tunes.

One thing I've noticed with this is that things that I've heard in music in the past that I wasn't able to figure out, I more often than not am able to pick out easier after one of these long breaks. Usually it's a "duh, why didn't i realize thats what he was doing before" moment...

It's no different than when you're working on a car and stuff isn't going together the way it should. The best thing to do is walk away and come back to it after you've cleared your head.


Another thing I've noticed about practicing is that I tend to go in circles after I've been at it too long. So, anymore, I just play something I'm trying to learn for about 5 or 10 minutes and call it good until later. I may come back to it during the same goof off session or I might not mess around with it for a few days, because like you, I don't have time for playing like I used to. But overall, I've found that I learn things easier if I let my mind wander a little bit. For some reason it helps the pieces fall into place.


 

I circulate what I'm practicing. Guitar, bass, singing, keys, songwriting. I've been focusing on songwriting and singing the last six months or so and have seen huge improvements in both. One month on with singing, one month on with songwriting.

My practice routine has certainly gotten shorter over the years. At my high point I would put in at least 3 to 4 hours a day. Now not counting band practice and actual gigs I don't put in that much time a week on average.

My practice routine is nonexistent these days, because I am not doing stuffvery often and work/residence is working against me.

BUT when I was in a very active band setting, I liked taking big breaks from practice.  IMO you hit a wall when you practice non-stop, and sometimes you need to take a break and reset and when you come back to it you can punch right through that wall you previously hit.

One advantage is you can forget your bad habits, or relearn them all over again.

Oh, definitely the second is true for me. Also, I have lapses long enough that it makes me slide back down the learning curve. I never progress far again, but it gives that fun dopamine surge of learning rudimentary skills again quickly.

"Whoa, that's a cool riff. Oh, wait. I wrote it 20 years ago and forgot how to play it."



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Well, it doesn’t work that way for me.  I have to play frequently or I lose my touch.  Of course, I play trombone and bass trombone, so I have to keep the old muscle memory tuned up.  The slide positions aren’t in exactly the same place on each horn.  They’re a bit farther out and a bit farther apart on the bass.  After a couple of weeks on vacation, it takes some time to click in again.  

I don’t practice as much as I should, that’s for sure.  I only work on stuff I can’t play well when I have a concert or a gig coming up.  Next to my music stand, I have a box with the music I can already play.  On the stand, I have music I need to work on.  
My problem right now is, I need to work on the Hindemith Symphony in Bb, but I can’t stand the damn thing.    
If I didn’t have a commitment to the orchestra, I’d never touch it.  

Do you write any music?

sometimes you need time off to settle down and break what becomes repetition numbness (of mind)..
lots and lots of practice is good for the muscles, reactions, coordination.. but can bore the brain.


 

 
This x1000.


Creatively, the best way for me to start writing or developing ideas was to take time off, sort of "find" the instrument again.